Microbial Evolution

I am currently a postdoc in the Ratcliff lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I did my graduate work with Benjamin Kerr at the University of Washington.

Research

Publications (* denotes equal contribution)

Book

The Evolution of Multicellularity
Herron MD, Conlin PL, Ratcliff WC (editors)

This edited volume examines the origins and subsequent evolution of multicellularity, reviewing the types of multicellular organisms that exist, their evolutionary relationships, the processes that led to their evolution, and the conceptual frameworks in which their evolution is understood. We hope it will serve as a starting point for readers interested in the evolution of multicellularity, a reference for researchers on the subject, and a jumping-off point to stimulate future research.

With the permission of the publisher and the authors, we have made internally peer-reviewed but unformatted drafts of all 18 chapters available for download. [link to chapter index]

2023

Entrenchment in living systems
Day TC, Zamani-Dahaj SA, Bozdag GO, Burnetti AJ, Bingham EP, Conlin PL, Ratcliff WC, and Yunker PJ (2023). bioRxiv, 2023-06. [pdf]

De novo evolution of macroscopic multicellularity
Bozdag GO, Zamani-Dahaj SA, Day TC, Kahn PC, Burnetti AJ, Lac DT, Tong K, Conlin PL, Balwani AH, Dyer EL, Yunker PJ, Ratcliff WC (2023). Nature, 617(10), 747-754. [pdf]

Evolution: Understanding the origins of facultative multicellular life cycles
Conlin PL and WC Ratcliff (2023). Current Biology, 33(9), R356–R358. [pdf]

Division of labor following major evolutionary transitions promotes entrenchment
Conlin PL*, Goldsby H*, Libby E, Skocelas KG, Ratcliff WC, Ofria C, Kerr B (2023). bioRxiv, 2023-03. [pdf]

2022

Evolutionary consequences of nascent multicellular life cycles
Pentz JT, MacGillivray K, DuBose JG, Conlin PL, Reinhardt E, Libby E, Ratcliff WC (2022). bioRxiv, 2022-07. [pdf]

Introduction: The Evolution of Multicellularity in Context
Herron MD, Conlin PL, Ratcliff WC (2022). For - The Evolution of Multicellularity (pp. 1-6). CRC Press. [pdf]

Conclusion: The Future of Multicellularity Research
Ratcliff WC, Conlin PL, Herron MD (2022). For - The Evolution of Multicellularity (pp. 359-372). CRC Press. [pdf]

2021

Why have aggregative multicellular organisms stayed simple?
Márquez-Zacarías P, Conlin PL, Tong K, Pentz JT, Ratcliff WC (2021). Current Genetics. [pdf]

The consequences of budding versus binary fission on adaptation and aging in primitive multicellularity
Isaksson H, Conlin PL, Kerr B, Ratcliff WC, Libby E (2021). Genes. [pdf]

2019

Water-soluble exudates from seeds of Kochia scoparia exhibit antifungal activity against Colletotrichum graminicola
Houlihan AJ*, Conlin PL*, and Chee-Sanford JC* (2019). PLoS ONE. [pdf]

2017

Nascent life cycles and the emergence of higher-level individuality
Ratcliff WC, Herron M, Conlin PL, Libby E (2017). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. [pdf]

2016

Stabilizing multicellularity through ratcheting
Libby E*, Conlin PL*, Kerr B, Ratcliff WC (2016). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. [pdf]

Trade-offs drive the evolution of increased complexity in nascent multicellular digital organisms
Conlin PL and Ratcliff WC (2016). For — Multicellularity: Origins and Evolution. Eds. Niklas KJ and Newman SA. [pdf]

2014

Games of life and death: antibiotic resistance and production through the lens of evolutionary game theory
Conlin PL, Chandler JR, and Kerr B (2014). Current Opinion in Microbiology. [pdf]

Contact information

Mailing address:
School of Biological Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Cherry Emerson building
310 Ferst Drive NW
Atlanta GA 30332

Email: peterlconlin@gmail.com